CCL President Robert S. Peck reported on the new Restatement of Insurance Liability Law, promulgated by the American Law Institute (ALI), in May to members of the Insurance Law Section of the American Association for Justice, meeting in Denver, Colorado at AAJ's Summer Convention on July 8. The ALI is a prestigious organization of lawyers, law professors and jurists, which publish the authoritatively regarded Restatements of the Law on various subjects. Peck is a member of the ALI.

     Peck described the new Restatement as consumer-friendly, recognizing that consumers rarely have much say over the insurance contracts they sign. During the recent ALI meeting, which gave final approval to the new restatement, members rejected a number of amendments offered by the insurance industry that would have weakened consumer protections in the black-letter law of the proposed Restatement. The result, Peck said, is one that should provide courts with substantial guidance in resolving disputes between insurers and their insured.